Fast Facts: Moose at Chicago – March 18

The Manitoba Moose hit the final two games of their road trip as they face the Chicago Wolves for a back-to-back set. The Moose hold a 1-2-2-0 record on the swing, including a season-high four-game losing streak. Manitoba holds a 3-2-0-0 record against Chicago this season and won its only visit to Allstate Arena earlier in the campaign. Coverage of tonight's matchup begins at 6:45 p.m. CT on CJOB.com/sports, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. CT on 680 CJOB.

Matching Goal Totals

Dominic Toninato and Jansen Harkins both found the back of the net in Wednesday night’s overtime defeat. Toninato’s tally was his 14th of the season, which matches his previous career-high from 2018-19 when he was a member of the Colorado Eagles. This time around, the pivot achieved the mark in 20 less games. Harkins also matched his career-high in goals when he netted his 15th of the campaign in the second frame. The forward last hit the 15-goal mark in 2018-19 with Manitoba. This season saw Harkins achieve the result in 40 less games. The pair of forwards also co-lead Manitoba with five game-winning tallies each.

Join the Club

Leon Gawanke posted a pair of assists in Manitoba’s weeknight game in Rockford. The assists gave the defenceman career AHL points  number 99 and 100, making him the third Moose skater this season to hit the century mark. The Berlin, Germany product crossed the 100-point threshold in AHL game 194. Gawanke, Winnipeg’s fifth round pick in 2017, passed former Moose forwards Seth Griffith and Mason Appleton, who stood with 98 and 99 points respectively, on the Manitoba all-time scoring list. Gawanke becomes the 39th player, and seventh defenceman, in Moose franchise history to reach the 100-career point mark.

Deploy the Defenders

Over the 2022-23 campaign, the Moose have scored four times when on a five-on-three power play opportunity. Four players on the squad have racked up multiple points in these situations, with three of the skaters being defencemen. Declan Chisholm (1G, 2A) paces the antlered ones and Leon Gawanke (2A), Ville Heinola (2A) and Jansen Harkins (1G, 1A) bring up the rear. When a five-on-three situation presents itself, the Moose have taken to deploying the three aforementioned defenders, with Chisholm being on the ice for three of the four, while Gawanke and Heinola were present for half. Over the past two seasons, Chisholm, Gawanke and Heinola have all recorded at least three points when on a five-on-three advantage.

Rounding Into Form

Tyrel Bauer posted an assist in Manitoba’s recent game. The defenceman, currently in the midst of his rookie AHL season, has recorded three points (1G, 2A) over his past five contests. Bauer, a sixth round pick of Winnipeg in 2020, has notched five points (2G, 3A) in 36 games and has posted a 6.3% shooting percentage. Bauer’s 70 penalty minutes are also second among all AHL rookie defencemen.

Who's Trending?

Henri Nikkanen scored in Wednesday night’s overtime loss. Nikkanen, Winnipeg’s fourth round pick in 2019, has recorded 16 points (5G, 11A) in 54 games. The Mikkeli, Finland product is second among Moose rookie skaters in points and paces the first-year Manitoba skaters with a plus-three rating.